She arrived at the room where Hadis was changing, announced her arrival, and had the door opened for her. Her husband, dressed in a smooth, glossy outfit, turned around. The attire, meant to resemble a military uniform, was embroidered with silver thread on his shoulders, and glimmered every time he moved. A snow-white cape hung over his left shoulder—a trendy look that had made its rounds since the first Dragon Flower Crown Festival. It may have been traditional, but it looked avant-garde and charming.
“Your Majesty, you look so cool!” Jill gasped.
“Huh? Really?” Hadis asked. “Do I look good? Do I look cool?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Cassandra said, popping out next to him. “Now, Your Majesty, I ask that you leave. We shall begin dressing Lady Jill.”
As the servants scrambled to make preparations for the Dragon Consort, Hadis sulked. Jill also pouted.
“I want to get a good look at him for a bit longer,” Jill whined. “His Majesty looks so cool.”
“Yeah!” Hadis agreed. “And I haven’t seen Jill’s outfit yet.”
“You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?” Cassandra replied.
Jill didn’t have a rebuttal to that. Hadis reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged away by Vissel. She thought that they were being expertly manipulated and looked up at Cassandra, who was busily giving out orders.
“Um, may I ask something about the old Empress’s Palace?” Jill asked.
“Certainly,” Cassandra replied before ordering, “Put the mirror farther back; it’ll get in the way. The same goes for the partition.”
“Prince Minerd told me something that bothered me,” Jill began. “He mentioned his mother sowing some seeds. Would you know anything about it?”
Cassandra, who was pointing to the location where the partition should be moved, lowered her arm and gazed at Jill. After a few moments of thought, the First Consort nonchalantly stepped closer to Jill.
“May we discuss this later?” Cassandra whispered. “We don’t have time right now, and it’s rather scandalous. I find it unwise to discuss it in front of many people.”
Jill immediately gave a nod of agreement. She was curious, but a scandal shouldn’t be talked about in front of a crowd of outsiders.
“Please focus on your role for now,” Cassandra said. “We don’t have much time until the parade.”
Jill was gently pushed toward the other ladies-in-waiting—they were ready with combs and makeup supplies in hand. She gulped nervously. The dragon maiden would head to the stage from the opposite direction of the Dragon Emperor, who would be giving the maiden a flower crown. The two parades would meet in the middle for the big finale. In other words, people could only view one of the parades. A small crowd for the Dragon Consort’s parade would directly insinuate her lack of popularity.
Cassandra and the other ladies busily rubbed Jill’s face with skin toner and scented oils as she grew more nervous by the minute.
“U-Um, will there be people to watch my parade?” Jill asked anxiously.
“Please be at ease,” Cassandra replied. “I’ve already hired some actors in the audience to help out.”
“That doesn’t ease me at all!” Jill cried.
“As you may already know, the day before the festivities, a mysterious girl in a mask ran around eating all the food in the stalls, won the eating competition, and even came out victorious in an arm-wrestling match against Duke Neutrahl. There have been rumors that this girl could well be the Dragon Consort.”
When Jill jolted, she was quickly scolded for moving around.
“Coupled with the rumors that you’re a terrifying wife for brewing an energy drink that almost killed the Dragon Emperor, you’ve been given another nickname aside from the Gluttonous Dragon Consort—the Dreaded Dragon Consort,” Cassandra added.
“It’s gotten worse!” Jill yelped. “Th-Th-Then the flower crown’s popularity…”
As initially planned, there were a total of four types of flower crowns for sale: three from the former consorts and one from Jill. The consorts’ crowns, which had been toned down, reverted to their former splendor at Jill’s request, and Jill had gathered the opinions of others for her own. She decided to add the buds of dragon’s flowers to give her crown a new flair.
“Completely sold out,” Cassandra announced.
When Jill tried to blink, she was asked to keep her eyes closed, and a brush glided over her eyelids.
“Small and energetic, victorious against Duke Neutrahl in terms of brute strength, and capable of leading the Dragon Emperor around by the nose, you struck a chord with the children,” Cassandra said. “Parents have also bought your crown in hopes of their children eating well, growing up healthy, and blooming into a beautiful flower like the buds on your crown.”
Jill tried to ask a question, but her jaw was grabbed and locked into place. Lipstick was slowly painting her lips.
“Everyone’s looking forward to seeing you,” Cassandra said. “I’m sure they’d be surprised to see such a cute little lady. There’s nothing more exciting than a maiden who’s just about to bloom. Now, please open your eyes.”
Their work was finished. Jill obediently opened her eyes and stared at herself in the mirror. She gulped nervously, but Cassandra and the other ladies respectfully bowed.
“You’ve got nothing to fear,” Cassandra assured. “Be confident, stand up straight, and smile. You’re our Dragon Consort, after all.”
With that, Jill was guided to a luxurious bi-level carriage where the dragon maiden would be standing. Behind her were the three ladies who’d be holding her train: Cassandra, Fione, and Sixth Consort Delia. The three, who had controlled the Empress’s Palace of the previous emperor until the very end, stood proudly. Jill felt like she didn’t hold a candle to them. The three consorts, however, had volunteered to hold Jill’s hems as their last task as consorts. It would signal a new era and a new Empress’s Palace that Jill would create. It was the Dragon Consort’s responsibility to answer those expectations.
A trumpet from the band sounded in front, and the carriage started to slowly move. When it made its way out of the dimly lit castle walls, Jill saw the smiles of the citizens wearing flower crowns and waving the empire’s flag under the bright, sunny skies. The dancers threw colorful flowers from their baskets into the air. As though to provide an example for a confused Jill, Cassandra smiled faintly and nodded to the crowd, Fione smiled wide and waved her hand, and Delia proudly yelled back in response to the cheers. They were each doing what suited them. Jill gained some confidence and stepped forward.
“How are you all doing?!” she yelled as loudly as she could.
Cassandra furrowed her brows, Fione placed a hand over her mouth, and Delia burst out laughing. After a brief moment of silence, laughter and cheering erupted from the crowd.
“Doing well!” the people shouted back energetically.
The young Dragon Consort, happy to receive a reply, enthusiastically waved both hands in the air, and the cheering only grew louder.